Machine for use in the manufacture of shoes



March 18, 1952 H. A. IMHQF MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOES w Filed Sept. so, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet l H. A. IMHOF March 18, 1952 MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Sept. 50, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 w a. 1 X, fi .I |,..I.I

mm awfiww March 18, 1952 |MH0F 2,589,392

MACHINE FOR USE IN THE [MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Sept. 30, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 y Jv i Z6 v v fi I gfl. a

I K) 3 Z7411 Rania?" v #m/v /A/M/mr I I n I Y Wes:

H. A. IMHOF March 18, 1952 MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOES I 5 Sheets-She et 4 Filed Sept. 30, 1948 z MY ,/,.o. w j Z 9 M z 1 5.

H. A. IMHOF March 18, 1952 MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Filed Sept. 50, 1948 I 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Patented Mar. 18, 1952 MACHINE FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SHOES Herman A. Imhof, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Flemington, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application September 30, 1948, Serial No. 51,901

24 Claims.

The present invention relates to machines for use in the manufacture of shoes and more particularly to machines for performing a lasting operation simultaneously along opposite marginal portions of a shoe, which machines comprise a shoe supporting jack and mechanisms for controlling the relative positions of the jack and the operating devices at the point of operations is transferred along the shoe, the invention being herein disclosed as embodied in an improvement of an automatic machine such as is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,201,866, granted May 21, 1940, No. 2,247,443, granted July 1, 1941, and. No. 2,252,325, granted August 12, 1941, all upon applications filed in the name of Robert H. Lawson and in an application for Letters Patent Serial No. 790,880, filed December 10, 1947, upon which Patent No. 2,489,416 was granted November 29, 1949, in the name of the present inventor.

In any automatic shoe machine, and particularly in the machines of the patents above referred to, the operating devices and the shoe supporting jack must be controlled accurately in coordination with each other. For this purpose a main operating cam shaft ordinarily is connected with a pattern cam shaft, both shafts having mechanisms for actuating or controlling the operating devices and for moving the jack to cause the shoe to be presented properly to the operating devices as the operations progress successively along the shoe. Among the difficulties encountered in coordinating these mechanisms are those usually met in similar cam-actuated mechanisms as a result of the combined effects of inertia, looseness or lost motion in the connections and yielding action tending toward oscillatory movements in the parts. lhese difficulties all are more pronounced, the longer the chain of connections between the shafts and the final part actuated thereby.

Accordingly, an important object of the present invention is to improve the operation of an automatic shoe machine in such a way that the difficulties encountered as a result of combined inertia, lost motion and yielding action in the operating connections will be minimized and in which the relative movements of the operating parts, including the positioning movements of the shoe, will be coordinated more effectively than heretofore. A further object of the invention is to simplify the construction and to render an automatic shoe machine of the type disclosed in the above-identified patents capable of greater flexibility in its operation, thus increasing the range of shoe styles and sizes upon which the machine may operate successfully.

With the above noted and other objects in view, one feature of the present invention consists in the provision of means acting intermittently to lock the shoe supporting jack in an automatic shoe machine against movement transverse to the length of a shoe between successive operations of the operating devices in the machine, thus substantially relieving the burden on the actuating mechanisms in controlling the movements of a shoe through complicated connections which are themselves subject to inertia, lost motion, and excessive yielding action. In the illustrated form of this feature the jack is unlocked for feeding movements relative to the operating devices. The machine embodying this feature is provided with a bar connected to the jack and a gripping member on the frame of the machine for clamping and releasing the bar intermittently.

The machine of the Lawson patents has its devices for performing an operation on the shoe mounted in a rotatable support in the frame of the machine to enable the position of the operating devices to be turned in accordance with the curvature along the margin of a shoe bottom as the operation progresses. In one form of the present invention the actuating connections for turning the support for the operating devices are adjustable to increase or decrease the turning movement so that the machine may readily be adapted for operation on shoes having extreme curvatures along their bottom edges. To offset the tendency of fluctuation in the turning movement of the operating device support, the support of the present machine is provided with an improved stabilizing device. The stabilizing device acts to retard uncontrolled turning movement of the support Within the limits of lost motion of the operating device turning connections. Although the stabilizing device is of advantage when but a single set of operating devices is employed on a single support, the illustrated machine, as in the machines of the patents referred to, is provided with two sets of operating devices mounted upon two separate rotatable supports and a stabilizing device is provided for each support, thus relieving partially the turning mechanism and both supports of the necessity for accurate control. Such an arrangement when combined with a jack lock is particularly advantageous in maintaining a uniform stable control under all conditions.

Another feature contributing to the accuracy of movement imparted to a shoe relatively to the operating devices in presenting the shoe thereto, comprises the addition of a counterbalance weight for the jack and shoe arranged to offset all of the weight of the jack except for that amount required to cause the shoe to drop from the operating devices when the operations are completed. The use of a counterbalance weight, rather than a'spring as in the machine of United States Letters Patent No. 2,430,880, granted November 18, 1947, on application of Robert H. Lawson, is of advantage in the present machine since, by employing a counterbalance weight the inertia of the moving portions of the jack aotuated mechanism is increased and the yielding action reduced. To this extent erratic vertical movements of the jack are minimized during lasting operations as well as when the parts are being returned to their starting positions after the lasting operations have been completed.

Other features of the invention consist in an improved arrangement for a jack releasing treadle cooperating with the counterbalance weight, a yielding upper gripper actuating mechanism, the novel use of snubbers to reduce impact and vibration in the jack actuating mechanism and the devices, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed, the advantages of which will be apparent from the following specification taken in A connection with the accompanying drawings.

Referring to the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation looking from the left, partly broken away and in section, of an automatic side lasting machine embodying the features of the-present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail plan view of a stabilizing device employed in the machine illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view in front elevation of the same device;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line -IVIV of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a view in f-ront elevation of the jack and lower portion of the base in the machine illustrated in Fig. 1 with a shoe mounted on the jack;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view looking from the side of one of the lasting grippers and its actuating connections taken just before the gripper-grasps the margin of a shoe upper;

Fig. 7 is a left-side sectional view of the lower portion of the machine base and jack with the parts in positions assumed while the machine is at rest;

Fig. 8 is a right-side sectional view of the lower portion of the base and jack with a portion of the jack broken off and projected as in front elevation, the parts being shown in operating positions;

Fig. 9 is a left-side sectional detail view on an enlarged scale of the lower portions of the base and jack with the positions of the parts assumed while the jack is locked transversely to the length of the shoe;

Fig. 10 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line XX of Fig. 9;

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the horizontal jack lock; and

Fig. 12 is an enlarged sectional view of the heel rest locking pawl and ratchet for the jack in the machine.

The automatic side lasting machine illustrated in the drawings is the same, except as hereinafter described. as in the machine disclosed in the prior patents hereinbefore referred to. Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings the machine is provided with lasting units consisting of upper gripping, tensioning, and staple driving devices. The upper tensioning devices include lasting grippers 2 mounted for vertical movement toward the shoe operated upon to reach positions where a proper grasp may be obtained on the margin of a shoe upper 3 and away from the shoe to tension the upper. The staple driving devices are indicated generally at 4 and include presser feet or shoe engaging abutments 6 acting laterally on the inner surface of a sewing rib 8 projecting from an insole E0 of the shoe to guide the lasting operations and to assist the grippers in tensioning the upper. The lasting units are each mounted on a support 12, best shown in Fig. 6, rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom. The supports are in turn mounted in bearings 14 carried by horizontal trunnions (not shown) in a main frame I5 of the machine and are actuated by mechanisms similar to those described in the patents above referred to.

To actuate the grippers and stapling devices, the supports are formed to receive pairs of semicylindrical slides, one of which is indicated at E5 in Fig. 6. One of each pair of slides 16 is arranged to actuate the corresponding grippers 2 through links I8, the lower ends of which are connected to the grippers and the upper ends of which are pivoted to the slides I6. Each gripper actuating slide i6 is in turn connected by a link 20 with its actuating mechanism to be described. The lasting units act successively and. simultaneously along opposite margins of each shoe upper, the shoe being retained stationary during operations, and being fed and positioned to present the shoe properly to the lasting units between lasting operations. For feeding and positioning the shoe the jack is moved by mechanisms actuated to transfer the points of operation along opposite margins of the shoe through connections with a pattern cam shaft more fully described in the Lawson patents above referred to.

To hold the shoe on the jack against the abutments 5 while being guided laterally thereby, in the machine of the prior patents, yielding jack raising means is provided in the form of one or more springs similar to those indicated at 22 and 24 (see Fig. 1) acting upon the arm of a lever corresponding to the lever 26 connected to one end of a cable or cord, as indicated at 28, which passes over pulleys and is connected at its other end to the frame of the jack. In the present illustrated machine the lever 26 is rotatably mounted on a shaft 32 in the base of the machine and the spring 22 is connected directly to the lever rather than to a separate arm which in turn is pivoted to the corresponding lever as in Patent No. 2,430,880.

The connection between the spring 24 and the lever 26 is illustrated in Fig. 9 and consists of a rod 34 pivotally connected at 36 to the lever and threaded at its upper end in an anchor block 33 to which the lower end of the spring 24 is secured. The upper end of the spring 24 is secured to a similar anchor block 40 in turn connected to a ratchet bar 42 which is acted upon intermittently by a pawl lever 44 to increase the pressure of the shoe against the abutments of the stapling devices during the times in which staples are being driven. This connection is similar to that disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,430,889, granted November '18, 1947 r upon application of C. A. Robinson and the present inventor.

To assist in preventing lateral displacement of the shoe from the abutments 6 and to stabilize the operating connections for the jack against vibratory tendencies while the machine is operating at high speed, the machine of the present invention is provided with means for locking the jack against movement transversely of the length of a shoe on the jack during each lasting operation and for unlocking the jack after each lasting and stapling operation is completed to enable the shoe to be moved and presented properly for the next operation. By so doing, excessive pressures of the abutments 6 laterally on the sewing ribs 8 of the shoe insole during upper tensioning operations are reduced and an improved lasting operation is performed.

To look the jack against transverse movement in the illustrated form of this'feature, there is mounted inside the front Wall of the machine base a bracket 46, best shown in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, in which bracket there'is formed a guideway 48 for a flat slide bar 58 engaged byv a gripping member. The slide bar at its forward end projects through the frame of the machine and carries a plate 52 disposed transversely to the bar and lengthwise of a shoe on the jack. Engaging both sides along the upper edge of the plate which is curved to conform generally with the path of movement of the jack as the shoe is fed is a latch 54 fulcrumed between the portions of a slotted rearward end of a bolt 56 providing a pivot in one of the joints in the jack frame supporting structure. The latch is in the form of a lever fulcrumed on a pin 58 surrounded by the coils of a spring 68, one end of which engages a pin on an upstanding arm of the latch lever and the other of which engages a pin projecting from the side of the bolt 56. When it is desired to move the jack forwardly from beneath and clear of the lasting and stapling devices the latch lever 54 may be operated manually against the spring Gil to disengage the plate 52. However, such movement ordinarily is not necessary since a lasted shoe may be removed and a new shoe substituted in the machine while the jack is in operating position, as more fully set forth in inventors patent above referred to.

The gripping member for the slide bar 50 comprises a rock shaft 62 having an undercut cam surface along its upper side. When the shaft -62 is rocked in one direction it clamps the slide bar and in the other direction it releases it. Toactuate the shaft 62 one end carries an arm 64 pivotally connected to one end of a link 66 yieldingly connected at its other end to a lever 68 forming an elongated pitman for actuating the pattern cam shaft of the machine from the main operating shaft, which lever corresponds to the lever 26 in Patent No. 2,201,866, above mentioned. The yielding connection between the link 66 and the lever 68 includes a yoke 18 (see Figs. 9 and 10) secured to the lever with a pivot pin projecting from the yoke and through a slot in the link 66 formed transversely of a sleeve-like portion of the link. Within the sleeve-like portion of the link 86 is a spring I2 compressed between a plug I4 threaded in the end of the sleeve-like portion and the pivot pin on the bracket III. The arrangement is such that as the lever 68 is moved to rock the shaft 62 toward locking position sponding movement of the link. Reverse movement of the lever releases the compression of the spring 12 and unlocks the slide bar 50. By look.- ing the slide bar the lateral movements of the jack transversely of a shoe mounted thereon are restricted, thus relieving lateral pressure of the presser feet 6 on the rib 8 of the insole during the application of lasting strains. Lengthwise feeding movement of the shoe, however, is permitted at any time by a relative movement of the latch 54 along the plate 52.

The guideway bracket 46 is secured in the. base of the machine on the shaft 32 and a shaft I8 which pass through lugs on the bracket. The shafts 32 and I8 provide support for the lever 26 and a link for pivotally supporting the lever 68, as in the machine of Patent No. 2,201,866.

To render the present machine capable of operating upon a wider range of shoe styles than-the machine of the patents above noted, the mechanisms for turning the supports I 2 for the operating devices as the operations progress is made adjustable to increase or decrease the turning movements. For a shoe with relatively small. lengthwise curvature only a small turning movement of the operating device is necessasy. For a shoe with large lengthwise curvature a greater movement is required. To enable adjustments to be made without disturbing the other requirements of the turning mechanism the adjustments for both sets of operating devices are arranged for independent manipulation.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 1, 5 and: 6, each rotatable support I2 for turning an operating device has clamped to its upper edge a collar 82 having a projecting lug in which is secured a spherically headed stud 8 3 pivotally connected to a link 86 similarly connected to an arm on a horizontally arranged bell crank 88 rotatably mounted on a vertical bolt 98. The bolts 90 are secured in lugs on the machine frame. Each bell crank lever 88 is connected by a rod 92 with a vertical arm of a bell crank 94, a horizontal arm of which is connected to a downwardly extending rod 96. The lower ends of the rods 96 are pivoted to the rearward ends of a pair of supporting links 98. Below the rods 96 is a pair of vertical rods I06 connected respectively to the rearward ends of a pair of links I82, the forward ends of which are pivoted to a hand adjusting lever I04 for shifting the connections to enable operation upon right or left shoes. The rods I00 are connected at their lower ends to levers I06 actuated by a pair of cams I88 on the pattern cam shaft, indicated at Hi], the arrangement being such that one cam IDS is provided 'for imparting the proper turning movement to one set of operating devices while operating along the inside curvature of a shoe and the other cam I08 is provided for imparting the proper turning movement to the other set of operating devices While operating along the outside curvature of a shoe. When a right shoe is being operated upon connections from the inside curvature turning.

cam act to turn the forward support and those from the outside curvature cam act to turn the,

rearward support. Before a left shoe is operated upon the connections are shifted by operating the adjusting lever I04 to reverse the connections for. the turning movements of the supports.

To increase or decrease the turnin movements imparted to the operating devices in the supports I2 whenever shoes of greater or less lengthwise curvature are operated upon in the machinelof; the. present invention, the: points ofconnecti'ons:

between the rods I09 and the cam levers I06 are adjusted to increase or decrease the efiective lengths of the levers. For this purpose the lower ends of the rods I69 each carries a pivot screw II2 passing loosely through a slide block II4 engaging an arcuate slot II6 formed in the respective lever I06. The curvature of the slot H6 is. centered approximately about the point of connection between the respective rod and its link I02.

To secure the adjusted relations between the rods I and the levers I66 the rods are formed with lugs having vertical bores within which are slidably mounted spring pressed plungers H8 having pointed lower ends engaging teeth I along the upper surfaces of the levers I06. -To retract the plungers from the teeth in the levers, the upper ends of the plungers have secured to them handles I22. The use of the turn adjusting connections is particularly advantageous where operations are being performed on shoes of the orthopedic type having extreme concavities along the inner edges of their bottom margins. By

locating the adjustments provided by the rods [09 and the levers I06 between the shifting connections and the cams no readjustments are necessary between right or left shoe operations.

For the purpose of retarding and reducing uncontrolled turning movements of the supports for the operating devices within the limits of the lost motion of the turning mechanisms in the illustrated machine, each set of mechanisms for turning the-supports is provided with a stabilizing device. These stabilizing devices are of similar construction and comprise segmental plates I24 secured to the machine frame beneath the bell cranks 88 and provided with openings to receive the lower ends of the bolts 98 about which the bell cranks rotate, the plates being secured to the frame by nuts I26 at the lower ends of the bolts. Cooperating with each plate I24 is a friction shoe I28' (see Fig. 3) carried by the lower end of a stud I30 slidingly mounted in a bushing I32 provided with a hexagon head and threaded into an arm projecting from the bell crank 88. Surrounding the stud between the friction shoe and the bushing is a compression spring I34 for pressing. the shoe against the plate. The pressure of the spring on each plate I24 causes the support for the corresponding operating devices to be yieldingly retained in position at one limit of its turning movement within the lost motion of the support turning mechanism. To maintain each support definitely at one limit of its turning movement each link 92 is connected by a tension spring I35 connected in turn to the machine frame.

In the machine of United States Letters Patent No. 2,430,880, above mentioned, the'shoe supporting jack com-prises a, frame corresponding to that shown at I36 and the jack supporting structure includes a link similar to that illustrated at I38. To the link I38 is pivoted an upwardly extending arm, as at I40 which in turn is pivotally mounted on a rotatable base, indicated at I4I to enable the jack to swing about axes extending transversely to the direction of feed and lengthwise of a shoe on the jack -within a plane substantially parallel to the plane of the shoe bottom. For pressing the shoe against the abutments in the machine of Patent No. 2,430,880 the spring, corresponding to the present illustrated spring 22, acts only to the spring corresponding to the spring 24 is regulated to add sufficiently to the force of the spring 22 to insure holdin the shoe against the lasting devices with a light pressure during feeding movement of the shoe and to provide increased pressure during lasting and stapling operations. With this arrangement it is impossible to increase the force of the spring 24 during lasting operations without correspondingly increasing the force of the spring during feeding movements.

In the machine of Patent No. 2,430,889, granted November 18, 1947 upon application of Charles A. Robinson and the present inventor, the spring corresponding to the illustrated spring 22 not only counterbalances the weight of the jack and its supporting structure but also applies a force to press the shoe on the jack against the lasting devices during feeding movements of the shoe. In the machine of the last mentioned patent the spring corresponding to the spring 24 adds to the force of the spring 22 only by that amount required to provide a lasting pressure of the shoe against the lasting devices. Accordingly, the lasting pressure of the shoe against the lasting devices may be varied without aifecting the feeding pressure but it is impossible to regulate the feeding pressure without changing the counterbalancing action of the spring 22. Furthermore, with the arrangement of Patent No. 2,430,889 it is necessary to actuate the jack positively in a downward direction at the end of the lasting operations to disengage the shoe from the abutments 6 so that undesirable impacts and reactions on the connections may occur under certain circumstances. After disengaging the lasted shoe from the abutments, the jack must be returned rapidly to its starting position and the shoe is thereupon released from the jack.

To disengage the shoe from the abutments 6 in the machine of the present invention, the jack actuating mechanism includes connections which enable the jack to drop relatively slowly by gravity away from the lasting devices, and in which provision is made for separate adjustment and accurate control of the forces pressing the shoe being operated upon against the abutments. For this purpose the jack is pressed upwardly toward the lasting devices by three separate yielding members, the first of which is actuated intermittently during lasting operations to press the shoe against the abutments 6 and to diminish the pressure during shoe feeding movements of the jack, the second of which acts continuously to counterbalance all of the weight of the jack except that amount required to cause the jack to drop away from operating position when the lasting operations are completed and the third of which acts continuously to apply a light upward pressure during lasting and feeding operations only, but which is rendered inoperative after the lasting operations are completed to enable the jack to move downwardly away from the lasting devices. The second yielding member is in the form of a connection to a counterbalance weight which, added to the weight of the jack and its supporting structure, provides inertia and steadies the feeding movements of the jack while assisting in resisting the reactions of forces imparted to a shoe by the lasting units.

The counterbalance weight of the illustrated machine is indicated at I42. This weight is connected to the end of a, connection cord I44 separate from the cord 28, the cord I44 passing under a pulley I46 rotatable on a fixed shaft I48. The cord I44 also passes over the pulley I46 through at its lower end a cam roll I84 engaging a canr- 186 on the pattern cam shaft IIO.

an arc of substantially 270 and extends at right angles to itself in a horizontal direction, under a pulley I50, upwardly over a pulley I51 (Figs. 5, '7 and 8) and to the central joint of a pair of angularly disposed links I 52 in turn connected to the jack supporting structure, as more fully described in Patent No. 2,201,866.

The third yielding member consists of the spring 22 connected at its lower end to the lever arm 26 and made fast at its upper end to a pin I54 in the frame of the machine. This spring is constructed and tensioned to provide only the force required when added to the force of the counterweight to completely counterbalance the jack and to apply a constant light feeding pressure of the shoe 1' against the lasting devices during feed of the shoe.

The first yielding member consists of the spring 24 which is adjusted to provide the force necessary to apply a pressure of the shoe against the; abutments 8 during lasting operations. Accordingly, this spring is stretched only during the times in which the grippers are tensioning a shoe upper and the staples are being driven by mechanism similar to that disclosed in Patent No.. 2,430,889. At other times the shoe is held against the abutments 6 by the feeding pressure spring 22 and the counterbalance weight acting together.

The mechanism for stretching the spring 22 intermittently includes briefly, teeth on the. ratchet bar 42, the pawl lever 44 pivotally mounted on a slide I58 pivotally connected, in turn, to one arm of a rocker lever I00. The rocker lever is rotatably mounted on a cross shaft I62 and is actuated by a link I64 connectedl'SS between the rocker lever and the lever 68, the lever 68 being actuated by a main operating cam shaft I55 (see Fig. 1) for the lasting units to operate a step-by-step drive for the pattern cam shaft IIO, which step-by-step drive is more fully; 40 illustrated and described in Patent No. 2,201,866.

At the end of the lasting operations on a shoe the tension in the intermittently acting spring 24 is released and the spring 22 is rendered inoperative to hold the jack raised. For rendering (23.5

the spring 22 inoperative the lever 20 (see'Figs. 7 and 8) is acted upon by a set screw I68 carried by an arm I10 loose on the shaft 32 and the arm I10 is pivotally connected with the lower link I 12 of a toggle including an upper link I14, which is rotatable on a fixed pin I16. The lower link I12 near the central joint of the toggle is connected by a link I 18 to a lever I80. The lever I is rotatable about a shaft I82, which also carries When the links I12 and I14 of the toggle are straightened at the end of the lasting operations by the cam I86 the set screw I68 on the arm I10 engages the lever 26, forcing it downwardly and stretching the spring 22. The weight I42, however, remains operative since it is connected to the jack by the separate connection cord I44. By the use of the separate connection cord I44 the reactions on the weight from the forces of the springs 22 and 24 and vice versa are reduced to a minimum.

The machine of the present invention is provided with a treadle arranged in a novel and improved manner for breaking the toggle I12, I14

in order to again bring the feeding pressure spring 22 into operation before the machine is started. To start the machine in operation the usual starting treadle,-indicated at I90, is provided. This starting treadle is arranged in a manner similar to that of the starting treadle 10 I I6 of Patent No. 2,201,866. When the main operating shaft I66 is rotated the lever 60 rotates the pattern cam shaft IIO step-by-step until the operations on a shoe are completed.

To raise the unlasted shoe against the abutments 0 and to start the machine without loss of time when the toggle breaking treadle, indicated at I92, is depressed, the treadle I92 is located with its foot engaging pad above and to one side of a laterally projecting lug on the foot engaging portion .of the starting treadle I (see Fig. 5). The toggle breaking treadle I92 is in the form of a lever, the upper arm of which carries a pin I94 disposed to engage the lower end of the lowermost toggle link I12 which projects below its point of pivotal connection with the arm I10. When the pin I94 engages the link I12, the link I12 swings about its point of pivotal connection with the arm I10, breaking the toggle and releasing the lever 26 for movement by the springs 22 and 24. With this arrangement the operators foot first engages the toggle breaking treadle I92 causing the jack to be raised and the shoe to be brought into engagement with the abutments 5 without starting the machine in operation. Thereafter continued downward pressure on the toggle breaking treadle causes depression of the starting treadle I90 and the machine to be set in operation. For convenience in operation a third treadle I93 is mounted to the right of the other treadles. This third treadle we is arranged to disconnect the pattern cam shaft IIO from the main operating shaft I06 when necessary.

Further to stabilize the operation of the machine and to prevent displacement of a shoe as a result of accidental engagement of the lasting grippers 2 during their downward reaching strokes before grasping the margins of the shoe upper in each individual lasting operation, the grippers are provided with a lost motion connection in their actuating mechanism, best shown in Figs. 1 and 6. The mechanism for actuating the grippers comprises a slotted cam I96 on the main operating shaft I66 and relatively rigid actuating connections. Engaging the slot in the cam I is a follower roll I98 on a cam lever 200 fulcrumed on the machine frame at MI. The cam lever 200 is operatively connected with a crosshead 202 and pivotallymounted on studs 204 on the crosshead is a pair of oppositely disposed bell cranks 206. Each bell crank 206 is connected with a link 20 for actuating each gripper slide I6. The upper arms of the bell cranks 200 are arranged to provide lost motion between the crosshead and the link 20, the bell cranks engaging at one limit of their lost motion with a pair of blocks 208 secured to the crosshead and at the other limit of their lost motion set screws 2 I 0 carried by the bell cranks engage with vertical surfaces at the upper end of the crosshead. To cause the lasting grippers to be moved downwardly with sufiicient rapidity to insure proper engagement of the grippers with the shoe upper and a full length tensioning stroke to be imparted to the grippers, the adjacent ends of the set screws 2I0 are provided with central bores 2I2 into which are inserted a pair of springs 2 I4 acting between theset screws and the crosshead to hold the bell cranks yieldingly in positions against the blocks 208. During downward reaching movement of the grippers, if either of the grippers accidentally en a es the sewing rib 8 in the manner illustrated by the broken line in Fig. 6, ts downward movement will be delayed sufficiently to avoid breaking down the rib or displacing the shoe from operating relationship with the abutments 5.

The principal positioning movement of the jack in the present and patented machines during lasting operations is that of feeding the shoe in a lengthwise direction. Consequently the return feeding movement of the jack to its starting position causes the greatest reaction in the connections. For imparting the feeding movement to the jack the toe end of the jack is connected by a link 2 [6 with a feed lever 2 I 8 (see Figs. 1 and The feed lever is connected with a shoe sizing pantograph including links 220 and 222 and a lever 224 fulcrumed. on the machine frame and provided with a roll 225 actuated by a cam 226 carried by a camshaft 223 rotatable in synchronism with and on'an axis at right angles to the main pattern cam shaft I [8. Also, as contributing to the feeding action, the jack base MI, included in the jacksupporting structure, has a downwardly extending arm provided with a roll 230 engaging a cam 232 (Fig. 1); The cams 225 and 232 are open cams as distinguished from those having a closed slot and the cam 226 i formed with a relatively steep portion 234 acting to return the jack lengthwise to its original starting position at the end of the lasting operations on a shoe. To cause the cam lever 225 to follow the cam 226 the lever is actuated in a counterclockwise direction we spring 227 (see Figs. 1 and '7) so that when the steep portion 234 of the cam is reached a force of acceleration to return the jack to its starting position is applied in an amount equal to the spring force applied to the lever.

In order to return the jack promptly with the machine'operating at high speed the force of the spring 221 must be constructed with such strength that excessiveimpact may occur between the roll 225 and the cam 22S and between the roll 2-30 and the cam-232 during movement of the steep return portion 23 on the cam 226' past the roll 225. In any event the acceleration of the parts imparted by the spring at this time may cause such pressure on the heel engaging portion of the jack during its return movement that release of the shoe is delayed and frequently prevented. To avoid these difficulties the return movement of the illustrated jack to starting position after a shoe is lasted is retarded by snubbing means constructed and arranged to reduce the acceleration of the parts imparted by the spring 221 to an intensity below that which will cause excessive impact or which will interfere with the shoe releasing action. To reduce the acceleration of the parts by the spring 221 effectively in the present machine the lever 224 is connected throu h a link 236 (Fig. 5) to a snubber. indicated at 238, secured to the frame of the machine.

As in the machine of inventors patent above identified a shoe is clamped in the jack between a toe rest 24!] and'a heel clamp 242. During lasting operations 'the heel clamp is locked against separation from the toe rest and at the end of the operation the heel clamp is unlocked and separated from the toe rest to allow the shoe to drop by gravity from the machine. For this purpose, as shown in Fig. 5, the heel clamp is pivoted to a lever 2M rotatable about a bolt 24G mounted to slide within a "guideway 248 in a cradle member for the jack. To look the heel clamp there is rotatahly mounted upon the bolt 245 a pawl 25!] (see Fig. 12) engaging teeth on a ratchet 252 in the cradle of 'thejack. At the end of the lasting operations the pawl 255 is released from the ratchet 252 through connections including a Bowden wire 255 having a coil spring sheath actuated under tension and a segment 256 actuated through a gear tooth connection with a pulley operated shaft 258 in the jack frame. The Bowden wire is actuated by a releasable connection with the segment 256 to enable the pawl to unlock the heel clamp and then to enable it to be relocked in unclamping position. The shaft 258 is rotated in one direction during lasting operations and in the other direction to release the shoe from the heel clamp through a cord 265 during the return of the jack to starting position. The cord 26D passes about a pulley 262 on the shaft 258 and other pulleys in the jack supporting structure to direct the cord into the base of the machine where its ends are secured to a drum 2% (see Fig. 1). The drum 264 in turn is actuated by a lever 255 having a follower 266 (see Fig. 8) engaging a cam 26! on the pattern cam shaft I H! in a manner more fully disclosed in Patent No. 2,201,866. To cause the lever 255 to follow its actuating cam the drum 264 is connected with a spring 268 stretched between a pin 21!] on the drum and a pin 212 inside the machine frame. Frequently, it has been found, because the cam 26'! also has a relatively steep return portion 213, that instead of actuating the pawl 25!! the Bowden wire coil spring sheath merely expands, without disengaging the ratchet 252 and is then disconnected from the segment so that the shoe is not released.

To insure that the motion of the segment 256 will be transmitted accurately to the pawl 25% through the Bowden wire connection even after thejack has been returned to its starting position andall possibility of impact is past so that the heel clamp wil be unlocked properly from its pawl 250. rotation of the drum 2G4 and releasing movement of the segment 25B are retarded at the end of the lastingoperations by a second snubber 214, shown in Fig. 7, consisting of a cylinder contained within the coils of the spring 268. Extending from the snubber is a piston rod 216 connected with the fixed pin 212, the cylinder comprising the snubber being made fast with the end of the spring 268 to the pin 215. The snubber 214 is constructed to provide a greater time delay than the snubber 238. In this way sufficient time is given to unlock the heel clamp in case the heel clamp fails to unlock during return feed of the jack.

What is claimed is:

1. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack movable on the frame, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack and mechanisms for moving the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe and to present the shoe properly to the operating devices as the point of operation is transferred along the shoe, in combination with means acting to lock the jack against movement transverse to the length of a shoe on the jack during each successive operation of said devices.

2. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack movable on the frame, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack and mechanisms for moving the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe and to present the shoe properly to the operating devices as the point of operation is transferred along the shoe, in combination with means acting to lock the jack against movement transverse 13 to the length of a shoe on the jack during each successive operation of said devices and to unlock the jack for continued movement relative to the operating devices after each operation is completed.

3. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack movable on the frame, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack and mechanisms for moving the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe and to present the shoe properly to the operating devices as the point of operation is transferred along the shoe, in combination with means acting to lock the jack against movement transverse to the length of a shoe on the jack during each successive operation of said devices and to unlock the jack for continued movement relative to the operating devices after each operation is completed, comprising a bar connected to the jack and a member on the frame actuated by the jack moving mechanism for clamping and releasing the bar.

4:. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack movable on the frame, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack and mechanisms for moving the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe and to present the shoe properly to the operating devices as the point of operation is transferred along the shoe, in combination with means acting tolock the jack against movement transverse to the length of a shoe on the jack during each successive operation of said devices and to unlock the jack for continued movement relative to the operating devices after each operation is completed comprising a bar, a gripping member on the frame for clamping and releasing the bar, a transverse plate carried by the bar and disposed lengthwise of a shoe on the jack and means on the jack slidably engaging the plate to enable the jack to move relatively to the plate lengthwise of the shoe.

5. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack movable on the frame, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack and mechanisms for moving the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe and to present the shoe properly to the operating devices as the point of operation is transferred along the shoe, in combination with means acting to lock the jack against movement transverse to the length of a shoe on the jack during each successive operation of said devices and to unlock the jack for continued movement relative to the operating devices after each operation is completed comprising a bar, a gripping member on the frame for clamping and releasing the bar, a tranverse plate carried by the bar and disposed lengthwise of a shoe on the jack and a latch on the jack slidably engaging the plate to enable the jack to move relatively to the plate lengthwise of the shoe but to be restricted in its movements transversely of the shoe and to be manually released from the plate for swinging the jack clear of the operating devices.

6. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack,

and a support in the frame upon which said devices are mounted provided with a channel guide and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom, in combination with mechanism for turning the support about said axis comprising a cam and connections actuated thereby adjustable to increase or decrease the turning movement imparted to the support.

7. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack, and a support in the frame upon which said devices are mounted provided with a channel guide and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom, in combination with mechanism for turning the support about said axis comprising a cam, a lever actuated by the cam, and a rod operatively connected to the support at one end and adjustably connected to the lever at the other end to enable movement of the rod along the lever to increase or decrease the turning movement of 'the support.

8. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack mounted for movement on the frame, two sets of devices for performing operations along opposite sides of a shoe supported upon the jack, supports upon which said devices are mounted provided with guiding abutments and rotatable individually about axes substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom, in combination with mechanism for turning the supports about said axes comprising cams and-connections actuated by the cams adjustable to increase or decrease the turning movements imparted to the supports.

9. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack mounted for movement on the frame, two sets of devices for performing operations along opposite sides of a shoe supported upon the jack, supports upon which said devices are mounted provided with guiding abutments and rotatable individually about axes substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom, in combination with mechanism for turning the supports about said axes comprising cams, levers actuated by the cams, and rods operatively connected between the supports and the levers with provisions for adjustments along the levers to enable the turning movements of the supports to be increased or decreased.

10. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack mounted for movement in the frame, two sets of devices arranged to act at opposite sides of a shoe supported upon the jack, mechanism for actuating said devices to operate progressively along both sides of the shoe, supports upon which said devices are mounted for independent turning movement about axes substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom and pattern cams and connections for controlling the relative positions of said devices and jack during the operation on a shoe, including a pair of cams and connections actuated thereby during the operation on a right shoe and means for shifting said connections to cause each cam to actuate during the operation upon a left shoe, the connections actuated by the other cam during the operation on a right shoe, in combination with adjustable rods in the connections between the connection shifting means and the cams for increasing ordecreasing the turning movements imparted to the supports.

11. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a supporting jack, devices for performing an operation successively along-a shoe supported on the jack, a support in the frame uponwhich said devices are mounted provided with a guiding abutment and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom and mechanism for turning the support about said axis, in combination with a stabilizing device for retarding uncontrolled turning movement of the support.

- 12. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a supporting. jack, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack, a support in the frame upon which said devices are mounted provided with a guiding abutment and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom and mechanism for turning the support about said axis, in combination with a plate and cooperating friction shoe device connected to. the turning mechanism for retarding turning movement of the support within the limits of lost motion of said mechanism.

13. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a supporting jack, devices for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported on the jack, a support in the frame upon which said devices are mounted provided with a guiding abutment and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to the shoe bottom and mechanism for turning the support about said axis, in combination with a plate and cooperating friction shoe device connected to the turning mechanism for retarding turning movement of the support Within the limits of lost motion of said'mechanism, and spring pressed means for yieldingly retaining the position of the support at one limit of its turning movement within the lost motion of said mechanism.

14. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack on the frame to support and feed a shoe, devices including a shoe engaging abutment acting intermittently to perform an operation successively along the shoe supported by the jack, in combination with three yielding members, one

of which acts intermittently to, press the shoe against the abutment and to diminish the pressure of the shoe on the abutment, another of which acts to counterbalance all of the weight of the jack except that amount required to cause the shoe to drop away from the abutment when the operations are completed and the third of -'-which provides a light upward pressure of the shoe on the abutment during feeding movements between successive operations on the shoe.

15. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack: on the frame to support and feed a shoe, de-

-vices including a shoe engaging abutment acting intermittently to perform an operation successively along the shoe supported by the jack, in combination with three yielding members one of which acts intermittently to press the shoe against the abutment and to diminish the pressure of the shoe on the abutment, another of which is in the form of a connection to a weight in the frame and counterbalances all of the weight of the jack except that amount required to cause the shoe to drop away from the abutment when the operations are completed and the third of which adds sufliciently to the force of the counterbalance weight to provide a light upward pressure of the shoe on the abutment during,

feeding movements between successive operations on the shoe.

16. A machine for uses in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack on the main frame, devices including a shoe engaging abutment acting intermittently to perform an operation successively along a shoe supported by the jack, in combination with two yielding members, one of which is actuated intermittently to press the shoe against the abutment and to diminish the pressure of the shoe on the abutment and another of which comprises a connection to a weight in the frame for counterbalancing all of the weight of the jack except that amount required to cause the shoe to drop from the abutment when the operations are completed.

1-7. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack on the main frame, devices including a shoe engaging abutment acting intermittently to perform an operation successively along a shoe supported by the jack, in combination with two yielding members, one of which is actuated intermittently to press the shoe against the abutment and to diminish the pressure of the shoe on the abutment and another of which comprises a connection to a weight in the frame for counterbalancing all of the weight of the jack except that amount required to cause the shoe to drop from the abutment when the operations are completed, and separate flexible cords running between the two yielding members and the jack frame to prevent direct transmission of force from one yielding member to the other.

18. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack; on the frame, devices including a shoe engaging abutment acting to perform an operation along a shoe supported by the jack, means including a spring exerting an upward pressure on the shoe to force the shoe against the abutment, a toggle connected to the spring, a pattern cam shaft acting when the operations on a shoe are completed for straightening the toggle to cause the shoe to drop from the abutment and to lock the spring out of operation, and a foot treadle for starting the machine in operation, in combination with a toggle breaking foot treadle arranged above the starting treadle for actuation with the starting treadle in a single treadling movement when the machine is restarted.

19. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack on the frame, devices including a shoe engaging abutment acting to perform an operation along a shoe supported by the jack, means including a spring exerting an upward pressure on the shoe to force the shoe against the abutment, a toggle connected to the spring, a pattern cam shaft acting when the operations on a shoe are completed for straightening the toggle to cause the shoe to drop from the abutment and to lock the spring out of operation, and a foot treadle for starting the machine in operation, in combination with a toggle breaking foot treadle arranged above and to one side of the starting treadle for actuation with the starting treadle in a single treadling movement or independently of the starting treadle when a shoe is to be presented to the operating devices without starting the machine.

20. A machine for use in side lasting shoes having a shoe supporting jack, upper tensioning grippers for operating simultaneously along opposite sides of a shoe carried by the jack and provided with a ribbed insole to pull the upper into lasted relation with the rib on the insole, and a slotted cam and a rigid cam lever connection for operating the grippers to reach for and grasp the upper, in combination with a lost motion connection between the cam lever and each gripper to enable each gripper to yield when it engages the rib on the insole during its upper reaching stroke.

21. A machine for use in side lasting shoes having a shoe supporting jack, upper tensioning grippers for operating simultaneously along opposite sides of a shoe carried by the jack and provided with a ribbed insole to pull the upper into lasted relation with the rib on the insole, and a slotted cam and a rigid cam lever connection for operating the grippers to reach for and grasp the upper, in combination with a lost motion connection between the cam lever and each gripper to enable each gripper to yield when it engages the rib on the insole during its upper reaching stroke, and spring means in each lost motion connection to insure full length tensioning strokes of the grippers.

22. A machine for use in side lasting shoes having a shoe supporting jack, upper tensioning grippers for operating simultaneously along opposite sides of a shoe carried by the jack and provided with a ribbed insole to pull the upper into lasted relation with the rib on the insole, a slotted cam and a rigid cam lever connection for operating the grippers to reach for and grasp the upper, and a crosshead for connecting the cam lever with the grippers, in combination with g a pair of bell cranks on the crosshead mounted for movement relative to the crosshead and a pair of springs disposed between the crosshead and the bell cranks to hold the bell cranks yieldingly in positions where they may yie1d when the grippers engage the rib on the insole during their upper reaching strokes.

23. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack including a heel clamp and a toe rest relatively movable together to clamp a shoe, and a pawl for locking the heel clamp and the toe rest against separation, devices in the frame for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported by the jack, mechanisms for actuating the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe, to present the shoe properly to the operating devices, to disengage the shoe from the operating devices, to return the jack to its starting posiactuated under tension between the cam follower and the jack for releasing the pawl and unclamping the shoe, in combination with snubbers for retarding the return movement of the jack to its starting position and for delaying the unclamping movement of the heel clamp from the toe rest to prevent stretching of the sheath of the Bowden wire.

24. A machine for use in the manufacture of shoes having a main frame, a shoe supporting jack including a heel clamp and a toe rest relatively movable together to clamp a shoe, and a pawl for locking the heel clamp and the toe rest against separation, devices in the frame for performing an operation successively along a shoe supported by the jack, mechanisms for actuating the jack relatively to the operating devices to transfer the point of operation along the shoe, to present the shoe properly to the operating devices, to disengage the shoe from the operating devices, to return the jack to its starting position and to unclamp the shoe comprising an open cam formed with a'relatively steep portion, a cam follower and yielding means for pressing the cam follower against the cam, and connections including a Bowden wire having a coil spring sheath actuated under tension between the cam follower and the jack for releasing the heel clamp from the pawl while unclamping the shoe, in combination with snubbers for retarding the return movement of the jack to its starting position and for delaying the unclamping movement of the heel clamp from the toe rest to prevent stretching of the sheath of the Bowden wire, the snubber for delaying the unclamping movement of the heel clamp being constructed to provide a greater time delay than the snubber for retarding return movement of the jack.

HERMAN A. IMHOF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,854,204 Lawson Apr. 19, 1932 2,368,878 Ray Feb. 6, 1945 

